Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-10-07
LOCAL.
NO THIRD PARTY 5!
THE CTICAL TALK OF A PRO
HIBIIIONIST OF FIFTY
YEAR EXPERIENCE.

Mr.. Geo. A. Bruce, of Waynesboro, is
not only one of the most widely known
and respected citizens of Augusta county,
but q Prohibtionist Of nearly a half CEN
tury's experience, and to him, probably,
moro than any other one man is due the
fact that Waynesboro now has Prohibit
ton. He is also Democrat. His name
having been quoted as favoring the forma-
ton Of third (Prohibition) party in the
State, and as In favor Of the legislative
ticket put up in this county by confer
ence of Prohibitionists, representative
of the VINDICAToR went to Waynesboro
Saturday to ascertain his views. They
are given in full in the following inter
view:
Mr.. Bruce your name is being quoted
as that of one of those Democrats who are
in favor Of the third party movement
recently inaugurated in Stanton by
State Conference of Prohibitionists. The
fact that you have been fer many years
prominent in the Temperance cause in
Augusta and the State, and also very
decided in your opposition to making it
the subject of political party movement
has induced nee to call on you. Have you
changed your views on the inexpediency
of a third party ?
mo, 1 have not. gave my name to
be used 10 call a convention under the
misrepresentation that it was call tor
State Convention of the Local Option
Alliance. When 1 read the circular with
my name attached, l saw my mistake and
so told my Temperance friends. My posi-
ton On this Temperance question is at
this time what it has even been. Years ago
in the courts.I with Others fought against
the granting of License to sell liquor.
When it Was necessary to go TO the !egls-
lature on this question, went with Others
before it OF petition and otherwise. But
have never carried the question into poll
tics, fer the reason that believed that one
or the other, OF both OF the political par
ties of the present. Gay would give US what
We wanted.
In the last Presidential contest l
was waited upon by two gentlemen from
Stanton and asked TO aid in the forma-
tiOn OF a Temperance ticket in that cleo
ton. l refused, saying L could see no
good to result from such step, and had
| no vote to throw away. | had no hand
| in the formation of the temperance or
| local option ticket for the legislature that
was put forth two years ago, and did not
vote for it-for the reason that both
| had i'm THAR
platforms Local Option" That was
what we wanted then, and l believed they
| would not 90 back on themselves, and re-
fuse it. l was not mistaken in that
| Another reason that Influenced my course
was this; That the Republican party and
| Republican liquor makers and sellers were
supporting that local option temperance
ticket, which, to say the least, was in
consistent. l said to my temperance
friends then, that there would be no mis-
taken idea as to my position whenever
| thia question Of liquor, OF no liquor came
up as naked question before the people.
| But l was opposed to mixing it up with
| other political questions. That TIC do so
would interfere with full expression Of
our strength. Tie last legislature gave US
Local Option as we asked for 1t, and &C.
! cording to the suggestions before made.
That is, they separated it from all other
elections, leaving the people to decide this
question for themselves uninfuenced by
other considerations. !
II had no hand in putting forth the
present temperance, or Prohibition ticket.
| Indeed [ did not hear of such purpose
until saw the proceedings Of the meet
ing that made the nominations published
| in the papers. | do not propose to support
this ticket for some Of the reasons before
given, and for the further reason that
do not know what they propose to accom-
plish, or can accomplish in the legislature
if they are elected. More than this, fol
forty years or more. have, until within the
last two or three years, been identified
with the temperance movement in this
county, and yet in all these years have
never known either of these candidates
actively or otherwise indeed, identified
with this temperance question:
You have been very long identified will
the working temperance organizations O.
the county and State; have you rot J?
eyes; [ have been connected with tn.
| Temperance work for now over half q cen
fury. 1 entered it in 1884; but have been
more actively engaged in it since 1889.
commenced with the first temperance or
ganizatlon; then came the Washington
ians, and in April, 1919, I went into tn
Sons of Temperance. The Temperance
fight we have kept up in this locality is al
from this district on the bench Of magis
trates-Ellis, Absolom Koiner, Chapman
and myself were all opposed to grant
| ing liquor license. We could always bea
the License people who applied from TIL
locality, but after the war there came
sort OF military court and before that th
License people gained the victory. Abou
five years ago we started the Local Option
bill. The bill was presented in the leglsla
ture by MIR. KolDer and passed the House
but when it got to the Senate Riddleber
ger was chairman of the same committe
and suppressed it. The next legislator
, was Democratic and passed the bill"
Do tie Temperance people in Waynes
/ boro share your opposition to the thir,
|, party movement
IL think so. The Lodge of Good Tem
plars here adopted a resolution against it
! 1t was written by DR.. Jones, and che dele
gate who went to the Staunton convention
, carried it up with him."
DO you think third party would haster
the submission OF Prohibition to vote O.
the people p?
Y"My experience does rot show that ;